Shattered Souls (14 page)

I shook my head. “Not so fast. I think
you misunderstood my intentions. I don’t plan on either expanding the Praedivinus Order or folding it into another Order, especially one that has similar goals.” I stood up.

“You do understand that the members of the Praedivinus Order are the ones who put the bounty on your head. That’s probably who Tom belonged with, not us. If we wanted you, we wouldn’t have played games.
The Praedivinus want you out of the picture because upon your death, according to the bylaws, a new successor can be voted in… someone that
they
choose.”

I could feel the anger rolling off of Logan.

“So since I was mistaken about why you planned a visit to see me, why don’t you enlighten me as to what you are really doing here?”

“The fairies,” I said.

“Those smug little creatures deserve what they’re getting,” Ethan said. “Don’t be fooled by them.” A blaze of red ignited behind Ethan’s pupils, and he dropped his eyes quickly. “They have the power to help humans live to their fullest capacity, and they refuse to help us.”

“Do you talk with them much?” I asked.

“Enough to know they’re trying to set us up,” he said, the red in his eyes gone.

“
You’re wiping out whole colonies of fairies, and you’re the one feeling set up?”

“There’s so much you don’t understand. They aren’t as innocent as you think. They’re
always only worried about their own survival.”

“The same could be said for you.” I pointed, gesturing at his obvious ability to maintain a young exterior.

“Listen, I’ll make it easy for you. Now’s the time when you should be in college, enjoying life. I’ll make it so you never have to worry about money again. Just accept my offer. Don’t make me go after it another way.”

“Like you did my father?” Logan shot up from his chair.

“I wondered if you knew,” Ethan said, his eyes darting to mine. “Raises the stakes, doesn’t it, knowing what I’m truly capable of?”

“Logan, not now,” I whispered, grabbing his arm.

“If you’re wise, not ever,” Ethan said. “You do know who we have on our side, don’t you?” His eyes narrowed as he waited for my reaction.

“Naming an O
rder after demons doesn’t make you connected to the underworld anymore than anyone else,” I replied. “Nice touch, though.”

“You’
re as stubborn as your father,” Ethan said, shaking his head. Standing up, he moved to the cabinet behind him and scanned the shelves until his finger landed on a box. He grabbed the ivory box and a photograph fell from behind it. My eyes landed on the unexpected image, shocking me to my core. It was a wedding portrait of Ethan and Lara, embracing and laughing. He caught me staring at it and picked it up.

“She’s as trustworthy as the rest of your family,” he snarled.

“Yeah, tell me about it,” I said, my brow furrowing. “She betrayed her own brother and joined you?”

”Join
ed me? She left me after ten years together. Someone better must have come around for her to pair up with.” The bitterness laced his words as he shook his head. “She was just toying with me.”

“How so?” I asked, watching him attempt to hide the hurt in his eyes.

“She apparently got what she wanted from me and took off. She left one morning and never came back,” he said. “She didn’t even bother to take her things.”

I stiffened
with the realization that he had no idea she was dead, and that the two people involved were sitting across from him.

“You two were together for t
en years?” I asked, my heart pounding.

“She was the best
set of eyes and ears I had in the Praedivinus Order. It’s a real shame. Now back to the important things in life…I’m sure Logan can assist you in finding the covenant since I’m sensing this is all new to you.” He flashed Logan a serpent-like smile. “And then we can make the arrangement.”

“And why do you want control over the Praedivinus
Order? You’re already well on your way to finding what you’re looking for. Zelo seems pleased with the progress you’re making. Why’s that not enough?”

“Let’s just say healthy competition isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” Ethan said.

“I have no interest in selling you, giving you, gifting you any part of the Praedivinus Order. Ever. There are many things I don’t agree with my father and grandfather on, but this would be one of those rare moments.”

He grabbed
an ivory box from the cabinet and lifted the lid off. A light red glow spilled out of the container, and I immediately began feeling lightheaded. Ethan placed the box on the desk and laughed.

The room began spinning. My vision doubled.
This was not good. Not now. I reached for the desk to stabilize myself.

“Something bothering you, Triss?” Ethan asked, grinning.
He took a step back, chuckling to himself.

I looked over at Logan, but he didn’t seem the least bit affected.

“I’m fine,” I replied, trying to shake off the strange sense of darkness that was numbing my senses.

Ethan
hesitated and then slowly walked away from his desk, his eyes reddening. Logan quickly reached across the desk and slammed the lid shut on the box while I slowly slumped in the chair. I was connected to that crystal or it was connected to me. Concentrating on the energy that was being produced from inside the tiny box, I tapped into the frequency and shattered the waves. The box erupted into flames as my body and mind became my own again.

There was a stunned silence in the air as Ethan continued staring at me, watching
as I regained my senses.

“
Well, that explains it,” Ethan said quietly. “You seemed far too sure of yourself and now I know why.”

“Same could be said of you,” I muttered.

“You have the ability to see between this world and the next. That changes things slightly.”

“How so?” I asked, not liking where this was going.

He burst out laughing. “Triss, your father was an interesting man,” Ethan began. “I never knew where he stood. Now, Logan, I knew exactly where you father stood and look what happened to him.”

I felt Logan’s anger through the
nectunt
, and I reached over to touch his hand, sliding my fingers through his, hoping to calm him down.

“Now it’s time to introduce you to my specialty,”
Ethan said, as the room went dark.

Chapter 17

Logan squeezed my hand as I tried to cast a light in our direction, but every attempt was immediately extinguished. The air in the room turned frigid. It felt like every movement was being tracked, but I didn’t understand by what. I let go of Logan’s hand and began feeling my way toward the wall, wondering if I’d bump into Ethan and hoping that wouldn’t happen.

An odd scuffle
followed by several thumps echoed in our small space and I felt another shift in energy.

“Ethan left,” Logan whispered. “I heard a
door close. I’m guessing it was a secret passage.”

“Why can’t I cast spells? Any spells?”

“
I’m not sure, but I’m hoping it wears off.”

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I made my way to the door. I knew it would be locked, but
still I twisted the knob and felt defeated when it wouldn’t open.

Logan was behind the desk
near the window. He was moving slowly as his fingers traced the latch.

“It’s only a matter of…”

“Don’t move,” Logan warned. “We’re not alone.”

No s
ooner had he spoken than a snarl reverberated across the room. My heart plummeted as I saw the growling beast, pacing in front of Logan. I watched Logan slowly bring his hand up to the glass, attempting to break it, with no luck. Ethan had us trapped.

Maybe if I crept along the wall, I could get close
enough to throw something at the dog or distract it somehow. It looked like one of the ones we’d passed on the way here. I took one slow step forward, and the dog quickly turned and now faced me. I could sense the sharpness of its fangs without seeing them. I knew they would slice through my flesh far too easily.

“Don’t,” Logan
commanded.

“I’ve got this,” I replied, moving ever
so slowly. The dog began snapping at the air but didn’t move toward me. I slid one foot in front of me, attempting to judge the beast’s next move.

“Triss,” Logan warned.

The floor began shaking, tumbling the cabinets and bookcases to the ground. I backed against the wall for balance, away from the dog. The distance between us felt like it was growing with every passing second, but I didn’t dare try to pass the snapping beast with the floor moving. I’d probably fall right into its gaping mouth.

A scream echoed in the room and my eyes shot toward the sound. It was coming from the paintings. The demons and ghouls began coming to life, swirling
in all directions. I felt like we were in a fun house made of nightmares. The screeching of the painted underworld began bouncing off the walls as my pulse raced, carrying fear to every part of my body. What was going on?

The door opened and
the housekeeper was shoved inside, and the door quickly closed. I waited for her to say something, but she crumpled to the ground, sobbing. I looked over at Logan who was beginning to slide along the wall toward me. We needed to stay together. As he slinked along the wall, the ceiling opened up, dumping fog into the room. The old woman continued to sob as the beasts in the paintings taunted her.

“What’s he pumping in here?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe a sleep agent? I just don’t know,” Logan replied, glancing at the woman on the floor. “But we need to get out of here.”

Logan reached for my hand and I let him grab it.
Closing my eyes, I tried to connect with the woman’s spirit. My mind searched for her energy, her spiritual pull. I grabbed and grabbed for it, but nothing was returned. My eyes flashed open and I turned quickly to face Logan.

“Something’s really wrong here,” I whispered.

“Thank you for that Captain obvious,” he said, furrowing a brow in confusion.

I shook my head and frowned at him.

“
No I mean beyond the obvious
,” I channeled to him.
“Why is everything only getting so close but not coming all the way?”

Logan nodded at me
, and we began moving toward the woman. The fog was thicker and the screams louder, but they seemed distant. Everything seemed distant. The beast continued snarling and snapping at us, but didn’t lunge any closer as we skirted by it. Once we made it to the woman, I knelt down to speak to her. She turned to face me and her eyes were hollow caverns. She wasn’t the same woman who greeted us. I stepped back quickly, but not before her body began dissipating into the fog.

“
Bingo
,” I channeled to Logan.

I jabbed at the beast in front of us. It quickly backed up and began growling.
I lashed out at it once more, this time connecting with where it should have been. The dog squealed and cowered in front of me, but my hand went through it. The beast didn’t attack because it couldn’t. I watched in shock as the walls shook only as far as I let them. I was controlling everything in here. My fears were coming to life inside these walls, but it was all imagined. I’d had control over everything in here the entire time.

“
It’s me controlling everything. Watch
,” I channeled.

I lunged at the beast and went through it landing on the floor with a thud.
The window shattered behind the desk as the beast continued to whimper. I glanced at the artwork and changed it from the devils dancing to something completely innocuous, an ocean’s waves rolling onto a shore.

Logan ran through the beast and helped me up.

“Let’s get out the window, now,” Logan said, pulling me through the office.

Nothing inside these walls had been real.
It had all been fabricated from my own fears. I’d let Ethan in, and now I had to make sure I forced him out. A shiver ran through my spine as Logan pushed me through the window. I jumped to the ground and watched Logan climb out and fall to the grass.

He stood up and grabbed my hand, hauling me in the direction that we came
earlier in the evening. I ran as fast as I could, my body almost flying, as Logan led the way. We passed the narrow, brick doghouses, and a shudder ran through me as the dogs barked and howled at us.

“At least we know where you got the images,” Logan yelled.

“True,” I said, looking behind me, noticing no one was following us.

We reached the elaborate maze of fencing and my stomach knotted. We were falling right into
Ethan’s trap, but it was the only way out of here. The fence around the rest of the property was electrified, and we’d surely get electrocuted. I really wasn’t up for that the way my night was going.

Logan released my hand and we stepped inside the fencing. We followed the pathway from earlier in the evening and got about a quarter through the maze when
the fencing began sliding and shuffling positions. We both knew it was only a matter of time.

“To the right,”
Logan said.

We
quickly jogged along the fence, taking another right and hit a dead end.

“Not good,” I whispered, backing out of our predicament
.

“Let’s take a left at that first
jag out. I don’t think I see a dead end that way,” I said. Even though the fencing was chain-link, and I could see through it, it was impossible to actually see where any of the exits led. It was one big optical illusion.

“I’ll follow you,” Logan said, right on my heels.

I ran quickly back up the fencing, hoping to reach the opening before the fence shifted again, and we made it. I turned into the new section and reached for Logan’s hand, pulling him with me as we attempted to escape. I could see where we needed to be. I just couldn’t figure out how to get there.

The loud scraping of metal began, and my heart sank as the fences moved again.

“This is ridiculous,” I muttered, stopping as our exit was blocked once more.

“We can’t climb it either. Everything is electrified,” Logan said, his hands shooting to the sky.

“We’ve gotta think outside of the box. We must trick the system somehow. I’m sure we’re on surveillance, and he’ll just keep messing with us.”

The cl
ank of the fence as it seated itself in its new position gave me an idea. I glanced at Logan and wiggled my fingertips. Kneeling, I looked at the track that the fence traveled along and realized that could be the very way we fool the system.

The dogs in the distance were becoming more restless. Something was stirring them.

“Let’s work our way more toward the center,” I whispered. “And we’ll try to jam the system as we go. We’ll plot our own course.”

“How do you plan on doing that?” he asked, his brow
arching.

“You’ll see,” I said, taking off
along the way we came in. “I only wish the spotlights weren’t lighting the place up.”

After a few wrong turns, we made it to a center point, and I saw the perfect junction to begin tampering with.

“Hover over me,” I
said, kneeling down.

Logan
bent at his waist, covering me as best as he could. The dogs began yipping louder.

“Please tell me they weren’t just released,” I whispered.

“Then I’d be lying to you,” Logan muttered.

My fingertips
began cooling, and the metal began pooling at the tips. I let the metal fall from my fingers, drop by drop.

“God, I wish this would happen faster,” I said, looking at Logan.

“You’re doing the best you can,” Logan said. “And it was an awesome idea.”

The track began
pooling over with the liquid metal that I released from my fingers.

“Let’s get to the next
spot,” I said, walking quickly to the next section of fencing.

“Looks like it’s hardening,” Logan said, beaming. “Nice work.”

I knelt back down and let my fingertips pour the liquid into the crevices, but my hands were trembling as I heard the snarls and barks of the dogs. I looked through the fencing and didn’t see the dogs yet, but I heard them.

Jumping up, I rounded the corner and shot the metal toward the
tracks just as the fencing began to move again; only this time the fence around us didn’t budge.

“Think
we’re onto something,” I whispered.

“
I’m impressed,” he whispered.

I
turned toward Logan, and my heart dropped as I saw the beasts lining up behind him. Now there was only one fence between them and us.

“
Gotta work faster,” I whispered.

He glanced behind him and took a step toward me.
The dogs balanced on their hind legs as they jumped into the fence. Their paws clung to the metal, the pads of their feet squishing into the pattern of the chain-link, as their gaping mouths revealed ivory teeth, ready to snap at us.

“
Too bad these aren’t apparitions,” I said, continuing my assault on the fence tracks.

The grinding of the motor
continued, but the fencing remained still.

“Over there looks to be a way out. I don’t see any
dead ends,” Logan said, pointing.

I followed him quickly through the
corridors of fencing, lodging metal into the tracks when I could, when the huge spotlights suddenly banged off, and it turned dark.

“Run, my little witch…run,” Ethan yelled over a speaker
system as his laughter took over.

“Oh, no,” I whispered, unable to see where I was going.

“This might work to our advantage. We’re close to getting out.”

“Yeah, but we can’t see and might
wind up back where we were,” I replied. “I’ll light the way.”

“Don’t. If
he sees a little light wandering around, he’ll beeline right toward us.”

A loud chime rang into the cold night air as Logan and
I felt along the fencing, trying to make all the right turns to get out. The ocean waves sounded closer than the barks from the dogs. We might actually have a shot at getting out of here. Logan stopped and my fingers traced over the corner post of the fencing. I could make out three different openings in front of us, but I wasn’t sure if any of them would actually lead us out of here. The chime rang again, but this time I heard gates crashing open as the dogs found a way out.

“Triss, now,” Logan commanded, grabbing my hand
as we bolted toward the center opening.

Running as quickly as we could,
we made it through the opening into what would hopefully be our way out of here.

Our proximity to the waves told me we were getting close. We had to be getting close…But I still couldn’t let my guard down.
My eyes had adjusted to the darkness only slightly, so seeing fencing past a yard or so wasn’t happening, but it looked like we only had one more set of links keeping us in.